M BUZZ CRAZE NEWS
// news

What is an integral number?

By Emma Martinez
$\begingroup$

This has nothing to do with integration :)

I've just seen the words 'integral number' used a couple of times and it seems that it means the same thing as an integer; is that correct?

Thanks for the verification.

EDITFor example, this is a question I saw:

How many differently shaped triangles exist in which no two sides are the same length, each side is of integral unit length and the perimeter of the triangle is less than 13 units?

$\endgroup$ 12

1 Answer

$\begingroup$

Your guess was right, but the quoted example is especially idiosyncratic because it says "unit". In normal use, integral length would be equal to some integer, while unit length would be of length $1$ (see "unit number" here). Presumably the author meant, "in the unit (with a different meaning!) we use to measure lengths, these lengths are integer-valued".

$\endgroup$ 1

Your Answer

Sign up or log in

Sign up using Google Sign up using Facebook Sign up using Email and Password

Post as a guest

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy